Five stretches for a stiff lower back

Canggu is hard on a lower back: scooters, low cafe chairs, laptops by the pool. Stiffness is common. Forcing a stretch until it hurts is not the fix — slow, assisted work is.

These are five moves that show up often in our stretching and healthy-back classes. They are general studio guidance, not a diagnosis. Sharp or radiating pain is a reason to pause and talk to us — or to a clinician — before you push.

1. Pelvic tilts

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor. Gently roll the pelvis so the lower back meets the mat, then release. Small range. This wakes the middle without yanking the spine.

2. Knees toward the chest

Hug one knee in, then both if that feels easy. Keep the neck soft. Breathe into the sides of the ribs rather than pulling harder each second.

3. Figure-four on the back

Cross an ankle over the opposite thigh and draw the uncrossed leg in. Stop where you feel a stretch in the hip, not a pinch in the knee or lower back.

4. Supported hamstring stretch

One leg long, a strap or towel around the foot, the other knee bent. Lift only as far as the back of the thigh — if the lower back rounds aggressively, you have gone too far.

5. Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch

One knee down, the other foot forward. Tuck the pelvis slightly and shift forward a little. The stretch should sit in the front of the back-leg hip, not the lumbar spine.

Better in the room than on a blog

A list is a start. In class, Chloe or Lena can see whether you are stretching a hip or dumping into your back. That is the difference between a stiff week and a useful hour. If this sounds like you, book stretching or healthy back and we will scale the session to the people in the room.